NKD Clothing

Could cheap clothes be given the cold shoulder this winter? Devastating floods in Pakistan - one of the world's largest cotton producers - and fears over this year's crop in China have sent cotton prices surging to 15-year highs in recent weeks and warmer fabrics such as wool and cashmere are also increasingly blended with cotton.

At NKD, we're already feeling the pinch, with many of our garment suppliers driving up prices in line with higher cotton costs. To further complicate matters, the cotton shortage comes at time when production possibilities are also in decline. Many factories in the Middle East have closed their doors driving demand to China, but demand is overtaking supply, creating a bottle neck, causing headaches for garment makers like ourselves and our suppliers.

We have always endeavoured to support the textile industry in the UK, with two of our major manufacturers only a short car journey away, our clients benefit from shorter lead times and premium garments. Our participation at Premiere Vision earlier this month established fantastic fabric and production possibilities in Europe and our mission to increase this portfolio and create a comprehensive library of NKD fabrics and patterns continues with a trip to Portugal next week.

Retail experts forecast clothing inflation in the UK will hit a new 24 year high in 2010, meaning retailers take a hit on profits, or more likely put up their prices. While we admire catwalks brimming with couture at London Fashion Week, could we actually be about to witness the end of fast fashion? Let us know what you think about changes in the clothing market?

While many of us in Edinburgh remain unashamedly inconvenienced by this morning's road closures and diversions I couldn't help being impressed by the shiny new barricades diverting the traffic and preparing to pen the papal pilgrims. But what really caught my eye and I must confess made me giggle, was the street sellers brandishing a prolific array of Pope merchandise. This got Sarah and I talking on the drive back from the New Media Breakfast, because while I would have expected plenty of unofficial merchandise to appear in line with the Papal tour - I've just found a pretty smart metal-style Pope t-shirt for instance! - I was surprised by the volume of official merchandise on sale. A phenomena that has been well noted by commentators on the Internet.

It would appear that 'Brand Pope' is proving popular and gatherers at this afternoon's mass in Bellahouston Park could be mistaken for revellers at a rock concert as they raise aloft their official papal visit electronic candle! And while the demand for keepsakes and memorabilia doesn't come as a massive surprise, especially given the historic nature of this state visit, we're not talking about rosaries and candles here - the official store is basically selling branded souvenirs. I wonder if it demonstrates a shift in attitude towards capitalism and consumerism, which would be interesting given that the Pope is best known for his conservatism or perhaps 'Brand Pope' is just good PR!

I'd love to hear about, or better still see any Pope promotional goodies you've purchased. Maybe you're planning on using your Benedicataphone for a Pope podcast or you have a pocket pontiff on your keyring... I challenge anyone to do better than a Pope thong?!!

..and a rainy one at that, but it's not dampened our spirits in fact the week is looking bright despite the gloomy weather forecast.

While a rather manic Monday has ensued (4 new enquiries, 3 of which were pre 10am), I find myself feeling a tad distracted as I eagerly anticipate the arrival of the proofs from last week's photoshoot. Anna will be popping in with them this week and once we've done the very hard job of whittling them down to our favourite few I'll be straight down our local print shop so we can adorn the walls of NKD Towers with some fab new pics, as well as the pages of our portfolio and of course watch out for the updates to our website gallery. Having already had a sneaky peak at the shots I'm very excited to see the product of what was an absolutely fantastic day at Dakota Forthbridge. We were truly blown away by the staff at Dakota, nothing was too much trouble - between offering us access to our room a day early so we could set up several rails of clothes in advance of the shoot, concierge Alister (as pictured) chauffeuring our models around and Laura looking after our every need throughout the day - the whole team went the extra mile, so thanks again guys!

While Nicola has firmly become the face of NKD and ultimately a friend to the business, Fred Szkoda donned our designs for the first time last week. He, like Nicola was a joy to work with - the pair of them made it look very easy but then I guess that's when you know you're working with true professionals. I think it's safe to say Freddie was pretty impressed with our innovative approach to corporatewear. He seemed relieved to realise that this particular gig involved him wearing some pretty trendy threads opposed to the shiny polyester suiting he had envisaged. We do very much enjoy dispelling the myth that corporate clothing can't also be desirable - in fact I'm expecting a call from Freddie any day now as he greatly admired one of our blazers!

Our photoshoot ran AHEAD of schedule last week (anyone whose been on a shoot will know just how unheard of that is) allowing us to capture some fun and may I say sexy shots which we'll be keeping under wraps for the moment - watch this space, I can assure you it will be worth the wait!

Last but by no means least, I want to thank 'wee Sarah' from our design department for all her hard work cataloguing the garments for the shoot. While it was of course a massive team effort, Sarah in particular worked extremely hard to ensure we maximised our time on the day - Sarah you're a star!

Speaking to various people recently, there seems to be a perception that when investing in staff outfits, companies are giving them away to staff for free.

When you have invested in launching or refurbishing a bar, spending many thousands of pounds in fixtures, fittings and finishing touches, why scrimp on the appearance of your own best ambassadors?

Staff outfits are worn every day by your team to help promote your brand and enhance your customers' experience. You are reaping the benefits, so spend wisely, not miserly.

It doesn't have to cost the earth, just be open to spending a little bit more and getting it right, rather than the false economy of poorer quality unflattering clothing.